Discrimination in the workplace is actually a lot more common than most people realize. In a survey published in 2022, nearly half of the workers asked said that discrimination is a problem at their job. If you have experienced issues like this at your job, an Atlanta employment discrimination lawyer may be able to assist you.

What Kinds of Discrimination Are Workers Facing?

When we talk about workplace discrimination, we are not simply talking about a situation in which an employer is not overly cordial with employees or warm towards them. We are talking about situations in which an employer mistreats an employee based solely on a quality that is protected under federal law, or situations in which other employees mistreat a co-worker and their employer does nothing to protect them from discrimination.

Recent statistics indicate that discrimination based on the following qualities can be common workplace:

• Disability
• Race
• Sex
• Age
• National Origin
• Color
• Religion

As you can see from this list, discrimination generally targets employees for things that they cannot and do not control. That is why it is illegal to discriminate against someone based on any of these qualities. Discrimination based on sexual orientation and identity is also distressingly common. 33% of workers reporting discrimination in the workplace were reporting sexual orientation discrimination, according to one recent report. Additionally, 90% of transgender employees have experienced harassment and even violence at their workplaces.

This is not acceptable, and it is why federal protections against workplace discrimination exist. This is how you can use these regulations to your advantage and fight back against a hostile workplace.

What Can I Do If I Experience Discrimination in the Workplace?

If you experience discrimination at the workplace, you do have some options. This behavior is against the law after all, so you can file a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC. This federal agency is there to investigate cases like this.

Once your claim is filed, there is an investigation and you may be brought into a mediation process with your employer. If settlement terms cannot be reached in mediation, you can go to court. Many EEOC court cases are successful, but very few actually make it to that point.

Hiring an employment lawyer at the start of this process is a good idea. The initial claim can be denied simply because it is not thorough enough. An employment lawyer can help you gather the necessary evidence and craft a more convincing claim. This can make it easier to hold your employer accountable for the pain that they have caused.

Contact Our Law Firm

If you believe that you are being discriminated against in your workplace, you need to fight back. Contact Ben Barrett Law today and learn more about how our attorneys can be of assistance. We can help you build a convincing case.